


Night Stands

by noonaofdarkness



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Music, M/M, No Smut, No Strings Attached, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-22
Updated: 2015-03-01
Packaged: 2018-08-10 02:48:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7827430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noonaofdarkness/pseuds/noonaofdarkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Baekhyun wonders how many ‘one-night stands’ he can have with the same person before it becomes something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Night Stands

* * *

  
Waking up in a bed that wasn’t his own wasn’t something Baekhyun could say happened to him often. That being said, it wasn’t an entirely foreign experience either. The sound of a door shutting quietly in an adjacent room, combined with the Saturday morning sunlight streaming into the bedroom, had been enough to stir him from his peaceful slumber in a stranger’s bed.

Groaning, he rolled onto his stomach, limbs confined in the covers still, and peeked one eye open to find his bed partner missing.

He noticed a distinct wet spot on the pillow below his ear, where his mouth had been moments before, and groaned again in embarrassment. He had never been a pretty sleeper. He could only imagine his mouth hanging open as he emitted strange noises and tossed and turned. His ex-boyfriend had commented on how they couldn’t cuddle like normal couples, because his chest would either become a drool receptacle or he would be violently kicked in the middle of the night as Baekhyun waged a tug of war for the comforter in his sleep.

As Baekhyun expected, he found his body completely enveloped in the comforter, making himself a fluffy, drooling burrito with hair spiking up everywhere. He wondered if his bed partner had survived the onslaught of sleeping aggression, or if, like many partners before, he had simply conceded the blankets and bed to Baekhyun and relocated to the couch.

Right… the guy from last night. The guy who’s bed he was currently laying in.

Baekhyun’s mind drifted to the peculiar, yet handsome bartender -- named Chanyeol if he remembered correctly -- as he untangled himself from the comforter and sheets.

They met the night previously at Baekhyun’s firm’s party that the partners decided to throw in some swanky hotel in celebration of an important new client. Baekhyun had set up camp at the open bar after performing his required rounds of hellos and small talk. Although he had his sights set on making partner before he was 35, he could only handle so much mindless chatter before he needed a break.

The bar presented Baekhyun with not only free drinks, but a handsome flirtatious bartender by the name of Chanyeol. He distracted Baekhyun (or as he teased, Baekhyun distracted him) for the remainder of the night. After some not-so-subtle flirting, Chanyeol suggested they grab a bite to eat after the party (“ _Because no one can get full on hours d’oeurves_ ") and Baekhyun had agreed. They both knew exactly how the rest of the evening would go, the only question was who would volunteer their apartment for the rendezvous.

Food was a pretense for flirtatious touches, innuendos and the eventual lust filled race back to Chanyeol’s apartment ( _‘I live close by’_ ) where clothes were quickly discarded as hands wandered everywhere.

And that was how Baekhyun found himself here. He smiled to himself as he sat up in the bed, recollecting the night previous and noting that the charming bartender was not a bad lay. Not at all.

He figured he should make his presence known to Chanyeol as he wandered out of the bedroom. He had planned to stop by the bathroom first, but was distracted by Chanyeol’s deep voice somewhere in the apartment. He followed the sound through the sparsely furnished apartment and found said man in the kitchen, cooing at the cat sitting on the counter. Chanyeol still had his bare back to the entry way, so Baekhyun leaned against the frame and watched amusedly as Chanyeol carried on having a full conversation with the cat.

“Are you upset that the pretty man kicked you out of the bed last night?” he spoke sweetly as he reached in an overhead cupboard, grabbing a can of wet cat food.

“Don’t be too upset, he tried to kick me out too, but I weigh a bit more than you and can anchor myself better.” Chanyeol opened the can with one swift movement as he reached for the cat bowl that was resting on the dish rack. As he scooped out a few spoonfuls and placed them in the bowl, he tsk-ed, “I have to be careful. You’re getting fat, I probably should stop feeding you every time I’m in the kitchen.”

The cat simply meowed at his owner as he rubbed himself against Chanyeol’s bare arm.

“But it’s so difficult when you beg like that. You’re too cute for your own good, you know that right?” At this, Chanyeol chuckled to himself as he rinsed off the cat food spoon. The cat began to eagerly dig into his breakfast as Chanyeol turned his attention to the coffee maker.

From Baekhyun’s vantage, watching Chanyeol move around the kitchen in his morning routine was like watching a dance. Chanyeol moved with ease from one cabinet to the next, grabbing the coffee, filling the pot and setting aside two mugs. As he walked past the fridge, he gracefully grabbed a bag of bagels from the top and moved to the toaster where he plopped one in, afterwards grabbing two small plates and setting them by the toaster. He was running on autopilot, all the while talking to the cat who was obviously more interested in the food than his owner.

“He’s pretty cute right?” Chanyeol whispered sweetly, “He’s a fancy lawyer. Who I might add, is very skilled in de-briefing.” Chanyeol laughed at his own [lame] joke and slapped his knee, “Get it?” he inquired while hovering over his cat. “Oh, you don’t care. But that’s okay, I’ll keep you around anyway.”

He patted the cat’s head one last time before finally turning around. Baekhyun greeted him with an amused smile as Chanyeol’s eyes briefly widened in surprise. He collected himself quickly, however, running his fingers through his hair and chuckling lightly.

“So I see you have emerged from your blanket cocoon,” he said lightly, “although, not to insult you or anything, I was expecting you to come out looking more like a handsome butterfly than a homeless person.”

Baekhyun looked down at his boxer-clad state and knew he probably was a far cry from the collected and well kept gentleman Chanyeol had met the night before.

“Not all of us can be Sleeping Beauties,” he resigned. “Sorry if I… um…. was a little…. um…. aggressive while sleeping. It’s a bad habit of mine.” Baekhyun added shyly, while taking in all six feet of Chanyeol in his polka-dotted boxer glory. Baekhyun was having trouble matching up Chanyeol’s amazing physique and sinfully deep voice with his dorky personality.

“Don’t worry about it. Snuggles here is pretty aggressive when I sleep too. He thinks my toes are some kind of toy he can bite through the covers while I’m asleep. If anything you put him in his place and saved me a little pain.” Chanyeol offered a bright smile, one eye twitching as he turned his attention back to the coffee maker. Okay, maybe his exterior was a little dorky too.

“Would you like coffee? I assume since you’re a lawyer and all, you probably drink it black to match your soul or something,” he teased over his shoulder.

“ _Excuse you_ ,” Baekhyun feigned insult, “I like my coffee with _extra_ cream and sugar.”

“Oh, so deep down you have a sweet heart? I didn’t expect that, given how demanding you were last night,” Chanyeol didn’t miss a beat as he reached into the cabinet above the coffee maker to grab powdered cream.

 _Of course he would have powdered cream_ , Baekhyun thought to himself, _he doesn’t seem like the type to keep track of expiration dates_.

Baekhyun joined Chanyeol at the small table in the center of the kitchen. Muttering a quiet ‘thank you’ as Chanyeol set down the bagels and spread and handed Baekhyun a Hello Kitty coffee mug, earning a judgmental stare.

“That’s my favorite mug,” Chanyeol pointed seriously, “don’t hurt it.”

“ _Really_ ,” Baekhyun mumbled sarcastically, quirking a brow.

“I’m serious! It was a gift and I think it suits me,” Chanyeol proudly proclaimed before he smiled widely.

“Right,” Baekhyun played along, “So you’re a full time bartender then?” He changed the subject, figuring he should know a little more about his one night stand who made him breakfast.

“Sometimes,” Chanyeol replied casually, “I do a bit of everything. I’m working on my masters degree right now, so I take on a lot of odd jobs that offer occasional pay and good tips to fit my schedule. My buddy Kyungsoo owns a catering company, so occasionally he’ll offer me a shift for some extra change. Plus,” he added as an afterthought, “I get to meet very interesting people,” Chanyeol directed a knowing look at Baekhyun.

“Interesting,” Baekhyun echoed, staring into his coffee cup to escape Chanyeol’s gaze, “So basically you get good tips from wealthy drunk patrons and occasionally get laid?” Baekhyun quipped.

“Something like that.” Chanyeol leaned back in his seat as his smirk turned into a full smile before continuing, “I took a few years off after undergrad, and it was not financially feasible to go back to being a full-time student at 25, plus I have to make time for the band’s schedule… So I guess you could say I’m currently a jack of all trades and a _master_ of none.” Chanyeol again laughed at his own pun.

“ _Of course_ you’re in a band,” Baekhyun mumbled to himself more than anything. Although he and Chanyeol were nearly the same age, Chanyeol had a carefree air about him that signaled to Baekhyun he wasn’t quite as far along in becoming an adult as Baekhyun was.

“Well, I went to K-Arts. It’s almost obligatory to start a band freshman year. My bandmates and I just happened to get along so well that EXO didn’t disintegrate post-grad.” Chanyeol wasn’t defending himself, just proudly stating the facts to Baekhyun. “And how about you? How’d you end up being a suit in one of Seoul’s fanciest law firms?”

“Well, I always wanted to study law and was top of my class, so they recruited me as an intern while I was still a student, and offered me a job after graduation. The work is a bit daunting, but I enjoy it,” Baekhyun straightened his posture. He was proud of his accomplishments, after all, he had worked hard to earn his position. “Plus,” he mimicked Chanyeol’s earlier tone, “I get to meet very _interesting_ bartenders at company functions.” Baekhyun exaggeratedly winked and Chanyeol laughed heartily.

“Sounds like a great gig indeed.”

Baekhyun liked the comfortable silence that overtook them as they ate their bagels and sipped their coffee. He was relieved that Chanyeol seemed to understand exactly what the night before had been and didn’t feel the need to press further into Baekhyun’s life, or make awkward conversation about feelings. At 27, Baekhyun knew the drill for one night stands: you meet, you flirt, you fuck, you exchange small facts about yourself, sometimes even intimate ones, maybe fuck again and then part ways. It was like a speed version of a real relationship without the commitment.

Baekhyun enjoyed the few moments of fleeting intimacy that came with one night stands; like the one he was experiencing now as he and Chanyeol sat quietly across from one another, slowly waking up comfortably in the presence of one another.

Although he wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept of casual sex, Baekhyun did prefer to date. However, he had needs and saw nothing wrong with filling in the lapses in boyfriends with temporary partners. Baekhyun didn’t like to consider himself a snob, but he had very different standards for potential relationships that he did for quick romps in the sheets. And the guy currently sitting across from him, although very skilled in the bedroom, met none of those standards. Baekhyun wondered to himself if the guy even had a five-year plan or if he was just ‘living in the moment.’

The comfortable moment soon ended as Chanyeol began to clear the few mismatched dishes from the table. Baekhyun thought back to his own complete, _matching_ , dish set he had back at his own apartment and wondered if the morning after would have gone differently had they chosen to utilize Baekhyun’s apartment the night before.

Baekhyun gave a cordial ‘thanks’ before returning to the bedroom to get dressed (picking up his shirt and jacket from the couch and living room floor along the way). After dressing, he made a quick stop in the bathroom, wetting his hair slightly to tame it, before finding Chanyeol lounging in the living room. He didn’t fancy Chanyeol to be the type to watch the news in the morning, but Baekhyun thought little of it as he cleared his throat to catch the man’s attention.

“Well, Chanyeol, I had fun last night…. and this morning. It was lovely to meet you.” The speech came out as natural and casual as he intended, having said the words to other guys before.

“Right,” Chanyeol smiled, “It _was_ a good time, wasn’t it?”

Baekhyun huffed in response in lieu of a smart comeback. Instead he moved towards the front door.

“Bye then,” Baekhyun smiled one last time as Chanyeol reciprocated and gave a casual wave.

“My band plays at Club SM occasionally if you ever wanted to come by,” Chanyeol added before Baekhyun turned away.

“Maybe,” Baekhyun said politely before opening the door, knowing it was a vain invitation offered more out of convention than anything, and with that Baekhyun returned to his normal life.

 

———————————

 

Come Monday morning, Baekhyun was seated in his private office, hair immaculately styled and his suit pressed to perfection. The door opened without a knock and Jongdae came sauntering in with a cheeky grin.

“Good morning, Jongdae. I see you still haven’t learned how to knock,” Baekhyun exasperatedly greeted his best friend slash co-worker, barely looking up from his desk.

“I’ve never knocked, Baek, and I never will. What, are you scared I’ll walk in on your pretty secretary blowing you under the desk? I happen to know for a fact you don’t swing that way…. as confirmed by your flirting with that Adonis of a bartender Friday night.”

Baekhyun pretended to ignore Jongdae with the case files strewn about his desk, knowing where this conversation was heading. Jongdae rested his arms on the opposite side of the desk and leaned over towards Baekhyun.

“So…. how was he? Did he put those long legs to good use? Did he read you original poetry like the last poor schmuck…?”

Baekhyun looked up only to glare at his friend.

“Don’t tell me he cried afterwards,” Jongdae feigned a dramatic sigh, plopping his body in a chair, flopping his limbs dramatically in all directions. “He probably didn’t want you to leave, told you you were ‘the one’ and begged for you to stay.”

“What are you doing Jongdae? Writing a romance novel? I think you could find better inspiration for that than my sex-life…. Why don’t you ask Joonmyeon to help you?” Baekhyun teased.

“So you _did_ sleep with him!” Jongdae sat up excitedly, pointedly ignoring the Joonmyeon comment, but Baekhyun saw the faint blush on his cheeks.

“Yes, I did.”

“And…?”

“And nothing. It was sex. _Good sex_ , but nothing else. He’s just a hot bartender who’s in a band for Christ’s sake.”

“Awh Baekkie, is he not good enough for you? I imagine it must be hard to bottom when you have your head so far up your own ass….”

“Shut up,” Baekhyun laughed, knowing Jongdae was only teasing. Baekhyun had long stopped taking offense to Jongdae’s crude sense of humor.

“Well I’m glad _someone_ had a good time. While you were flirting it up with that GQ model bartender, I had to watch Joonmyeon flirt with Yixing from HR.” Jongdae pouted, slumping down in his chair.

“Oh poor baby. You know, if you actually made a move, he might have some idea that you liked him.”

“I can’t do that. He’s a son of one of the partners, he’ll think I’m using him or something to work my way up.”

“Jongdae, have you _seen_ the way he smiles at you? He obviously thinks you’re adorable, I have no idea why but…. I digress…. You barely say ten words to the guy when he tries to talk to you, you’re not exactly sending him the ‘ _i’m so infatuated with you please father my children_ ’ vibes that you think you are.”

Jongdae huffed indignantly, and made his way to the door. “Whatever. I came in here to tease you about your sex life, not get teased for my lack of one.”

“Close that on your way out,” Baekhyun hollered in vain, as Jongdae smirked before leaving the door ever-so-slightly ajar.

 

Later that afternoon, Baekhyun patted himself on the back as he saw Jongdae shyly conversing with Joonmyeon by the water cooler.

 

——————————————

 

A little over a month, and a several _dates with Joonmyeon_ later, Jongdae popped into Baekhyun’s office with a spring in his step.

“Ah, it’s so nice to be getting laid regularly,” Jongdae sighed dreamily as he sat across from Baekhyun.

“Woop-dee-doo,” Baekhyun said dryly while staring at his computer screen. He had been so consumed with his most recent case that he hadn’t even had time to consider having sexual partners, much less dating. Jongdae, on the other hand, had finally somehow snagged Joonmyeon and was keeping himself _quite_ occupied.

“I didn’t just come here to brag though,” Jongdae began, “Joonmyeon’s cousin is in a band and they’re playing at some club… SM or something, this weekend and I wanted to invite you along. You know, so you could officially get to know my _boyfriend_.”

The name of the club rang a bell for Baekhyun, but he couldn’t quite place it.

“When and where?” He conceded after a moment of consideration. After all, he should get to know Joonmyeon if Jongdae was serious about him. Plus, he hadn’t been out in a while and could use the break.

“Saturday, 9pm in Hongdae. I’ll have Joonmyeon email you the address.”

“Great. Now get out of my office.”

 

Baekhyun met Jongdae and Joonmyeon outside of Club SM at promptly 9pm that Saturday evening, dressed in casual jeans and a plain black v-neck. He pretended to gag at Jongdae when he saw the couple approaching hand-in-hand.

“Hey Baekhyun, I’m really glad you came out,” Joonmyeon greeted once he was within hearing range. He still seemed mildly intimidated by Baekhyun, as most people in the office were. It didn’t make sense to Baekhyun how Joonmyeon could be the spawn of one of the most tenacious lawyers in Seoul, because the guy was too friendly and accommodating for his own good.

“Thanks for inviting me, I think I’ve heard of this place before…. So your cousin is in a band?” Baekhyun began the small talk.

“It’s his college band, but they keep playing shows as long as venues will have them. So here we are….” Joonmyeon explained.

Nodding in understanding Baekhyun made his way towards the door where Joonmyeon dropped a name to the bouncer and the trio had their cover charge waived.

“Wow, I’ve never been ‘with the band’ before,” Jongdae chirped, “I wonder which member they think we’re screwing.”

Joonmyeon smiled at Jongdae and set a possessive arm around his waist, “ _You_ will not be sleeping with anyone in the band.” He teased before kissing Jongdae on the cheek.

“Awh, Joonie, but that ruins all the fun!”

Baekhyun tried to drown out the sickeningly sweet couple talk as he followed the couple into the club. He definitely did not miss, however, Joonmyeon playfully pinching Jongdae’s ass as they moved towards the bar.

The place was decent by Baekhyun’s standards. A little divey, but dive bars and venues, in Baekhyun’s experience, had proven to be more fun than swanky overpriced bars. The stage stood at the rear of the venue as the obvious centerpiece. It was worn, with mismatched amps and chords laying discarded all over it, the band most likely in the middle of set-up. Across the floor from the stage, closer to the entrance was the bar where the three men took their seats and proceeded to order their first round.

“So when do we meet your cousin?” Jongdae asked after they had been served.

“Hmmm… I imagine Jongin’s going to be too preoccupied with set up and sound check to meet us before their set, but he knows I’m going to be here so we’ll find him afterwards.”

Given that the bar was directly across from the stage, the trio faced away from the stage as the band set up. When time for sound check came around, about thirty minutes later, Baekhyun was caught off guard by a familiar deep voice amplified through the venue speakers.

 _“Sound check one, two.”_

An unexpected shiver of excitement ran up Baekhyun’s spine. That voice brought back great memories of one particular night a several weeks ago, his body reacted involuntarily at the sensual recollection. Sure enough, when he turned around to face the stage he was greeted with the sight of a familiar, lanky man with messy brown hair standing at the mic, holding a guitar in his arms.

Then it all clicked for Baekhyun. _Right, Chanyeol was it….? had mentioned that he played at this club_.

Connecting the dots, Baekhyun realized that Joonmyeon’s cousin might be in the same band as his one night stand from a few months ago. Jongdae, who had also turned to watch the sound check, was squinting at the stage, trying to place the guy standing at the microphone.

He turned to Baekhyun, “Is that….?” he began. Baekhyun nodded before turning back to the stage. “Well this should be interesting,” a wide amused grin overtook his face.

“What will?” Joonmyeon questioned.

“Oh, nothing,” Jongdae drawled, “Baekhyun just knows the guitarist, that’s all.”

“You know Chanyeol?” Joonmyeon looked surprised, “How?”

Jongdae conveniently chose that moment to take a swig of his beer, leaving the explanation to Baekhyun. _Which is probably for the best_ , Baekhyun thought.

“Uh… he was bar-tending at that Firm party last month…?” Baekhyun attempted.

“Oh! I didn’t even know he was working that night!”

“Oh believe me,” Jongdae joined in, “He was working _long hours_ that night.”

Baekhyun delivered a swift kick to Jongdae’s shin as Joonmyeon furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Oh… okay?”

Before Joonmyeon could inquire further, the band had taken the stage and was diving into their set, effectively ending any chance for further explanation on Baekhyun’s part.

Baekhyun didn’t even pretend to pay attention to anything besides the tall guitarist. He was _mesmerizing_. When he tucked his bottom lip under his teeth in concentration, Baekhyun’s mind ventured back to the image of the guitarist above him, making the exact same face as he drove Baekhyun to complete bliss. Memories that Baekhyun had all but forgotten before tonight. Although Baekhyun had thought little of the night after it happened, he couldn’t help but be drawn towards the man once again.

Baekhyun mused if he was the only person in the venue that knew that side of Chanyeol. How ever little he actually knew of the man, he knew Chanyeol looked like in the most intimate of moments, with the street lights casting shadows across his bare chest. He knew the deep sounds the man emitted, he knew how he moaned when he reached climax. It was amazing how he could know all these private things about a man who, in reality, was nothing more than a stranger on the stage that he had shared an evening with a month before.

Jongdae occasionally shot an entertained glance Baekhyun’s way, taking satisfaction in his friend’s enamored state. Once Baekhyun noticed, he gave a sardonic sigh.

“What? He’s hot.”

“That he is, my friend, that he is.” Jongdae patted Baekhyun’s back before smiling wickedly.

The set seemed to end too soon, and Baekhyun had to admit, Chanyeol was pretty talented. Not that he ever doubted it, really.

After the vocalist thanked the audience one last time, the band cleared the stage and house music took over the speaker system as the audience dispersed around the venue to mingle before the next band started their set. It was then that Joonmyeon ushered Jongdae and Baekhyun out of their seats and towards the back door to the side of the stage.

As the trio approached the band, Baekhyun grew anxious. If Chanyeol didn’t remember him, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but what if he did remember him and it was awkward? Baekhyun hated awkward.

He didn’t have to consider his options too long, as they got closer, said guitarist looked up and immediately locked eyes with Baekhyun. A look of recognition came over his face and he looked pleased as he blatantly checked out Baekhyun in skinny jeans.

“Jongin!” Joonmyeon hollered, gaining the drummers attention.

“Hey! I see you brought friends,” the tanned (and also very handsome) man who Baekhyun assumed to be Jongin, set down the snare drum and smiled brightly at his cousin and friends.

“Right, uh, this is Jongdae my, uh…..” Joonmyeon trailed off incoherently.

“Your what?” Jongin yelled over the house music.

“His _boyfriend_ ,” Jongdae offered, extending his hand towards Jongin. Joonmyeon dropped his chin to his chest in embarrassment.

“Oh?” Jongin said smugly, “So _you’re_ the boyfriend he never shuts up about.”

“That would be me,” Jongdae beamed while Joonmyeon flushed with embarrassment.

“And you are…?” Jongin directed his attention towards Baekhyun.

Before Baekhyun could respond, however, a deep voice joined in from behind Jongin.

“That’s Baekhyun. He’s a lawyer too.” Chanyeol moved to stand next to Jongin, towering over Baekhyun.

“You know him, Chanyeol? Cool. Well, thanks for coming out tonight! I hope we weren’t too disappointing, I think we’ve been on a steady decline since our college glory days,” Jongin laughed at his own deprecation.

“Oh hush, you guys were wonderful. Baekhyun couldn’t look away,” Jongdae said cheekily as he nudged Baekhyun’s shoulder.

Chanyeol was now smirking at Baekhyun, and Baekhyun wanted nothing more than to kick him in the shin for being so smug.

“Well, it was really nice to meet you. I’m going to go get a refill at the bar.” With that, Baekhyun made work of reclaiming his previous seat.

It wasn’t long till the leggy guitarist found him though.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight,” the baritone voice said over his shoulder before Chanyeol occupied the seat next to Baekhyun.

“Likewise, I just tagged along with the happy couple,” Baekhyun didn’t mean to sound bitter, he was going more for apathetic, “and then there you were on stage and it all sort of clicked into place. You were really good though.”

“Thank you,” Chanyeol said genuinely before turning towards the bartender, “Hey Minseok! Can I get the usual?” The youthful looking bartender gave a nod and smile of acknowledgment before filling a glass for Chanyeol.

Baekhyun noticed the small droplets of sweat trailing down Chanyeol’s neck and disappearing into his shirt’s neckline. Baekhyun had no doubt that he found Chanyeol immensely attractive and he wondered if there was a chance of repeating their past encounter again tonight.

“So, how goes the criminal justice system?” Chanyeol began. Baekhyun scoffed.

“I’m not a criminal attorney. I’m in corporate law.”

“Oh. So how goes crushing the working man by defending corporations as people?”

Ignoring the insult, Baekhyun answered confidently, “We’re not all assholes who have no regard for humanity, Chanyeol…. Anyway, we successfully got what we wanted out of our most recent merger negotiations, so you could say things are going well.”

“Tell me about it,” Chanyeol requested earnestly.

“I… really?” Baekhyun wondered if Chanyeol’s request was rooted in condescension or if the musician was actually interested.

“I’m serious!” Chanyeol put his hands up in defense, “I know nothing about law, aside from the Law and Order intro, which I can repeat verbatim, if you’re interested.”

Baekhyun grimaced, and Chanyeol took that as a no. “So, enlighten me on real law then.”

“Well…” Baekhyun began and before he knew it the two were engaged in a deeply educational conversation about the conventions of corporate negotiations, various companies and officer’s desires in the market, and of course Baekhyun’s frustration with his clients. Chanyeol responded in kind and empathized with Baekhyun’s frustrations, although Baekhyun could tell most of the lingo went above his head.

Before either of them realized it, they were four drinks in, Jongdae and Joonmyeon had already bid them farewell…. and Chanyeol’s hand was making it’s way up Baekhyun’s thigh.

“You know,” Chanyeol leaned in to whisper in Baekhyun’s ear, causing the lawyer to involuntarily shiver for the second time that night, “You’re really cute when you talk about things I don’t understand.”

He then pulled away from Baekhyun’s ear, lingering near Baekhyun’s face, staring at him intently.

Baekhyun figured this was his chance to make a move, so he reciprocated Chanyeol’s gaze with a mischievous smile of his own.

“My apartment is closer this time,” was all Baekhyun needed to say before the pair promptly closed their tabs and caught a taxi.

 

Much like last time, Chanyeol had Baekhyun pinned to inside of the door, knee wedged between Baekhyun’s legs as he made quick work of Baekhyun’s shirt before laying kisses all over his exposed neck and collarbone.

Baekhyun was already a gasping mess, “This position… seems... familiar.”

Chanyeol chuckled into his neck, and the vibrations of his deep voice only turned Baekhyun on further.

“Indeed. And if I seem to remember correctly…” he then attacked a specific spot on Baekhyun’s neck, sucking aggressively before biting down. Baekhyun released a deep moan.

“Yup, right there. I’ve been thinking of _that_ particular reaction for the past month,” Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol’s smile against his collarbone as he continued his assault. He moved to hoist Baekhyun’s legs around his waist, and Baekhyun readily complied.

Although Chanyeol was smooth with words, the journey to Baekhyun’s bedroom was anything but smooth as Chanyeol navigated through the unfamiliar apartment, stubbing his toe on the coffee table and knocking Baekhyun’s head into more than one doorframe. Chanyeol swore under his breath and Baekhyun laughed heartily. Baekhyun couldn’t find it in himself to care when Chanyeol was doing such sinful things with his tongue.

 

The next morning, Baekhyun woke up alone, wrapped securely in his own comforter. The out of place post-it on his nightstand soon caught his attention.

 _Baekhyun,_

 _Sorry to run out, had to feed Snuggles (he’s a fatass you know).  
Kidding. I have to go to work one of my many jobs, and you don’t seem like a morning person, so I’m not going to attempt to wake you.Call me sometime and I may buy you a drink as an apology for skipping out on what could have been spectacular morning sex._

 _\- Yeol_

Baekhyun smiled at the phone number at the bottom of the note. While he was never one to turn down a free drink, he had to wonder if there would be implications. After all, this was a casual thing and although Chanyeol was _really good_ at the whole sex thing, seeking him out would make their meetings less coincidental. He wasn’t sure he wanted that.

He gingerly placed the note back on the nightstand and drifted back into dream land.

 

—————————————

 

The firm was abuzz with gossip about a new client -- a very handsome new client -- by name name of Wu Yifan.

Naturally, Baekhyun was curious as rumors began to spread about the handsome, wealthy and successful Mr Wu. Unfortunately, he had yet to set eyes on the man.

“I hear he’s perfect, and _tall_.” Jongdae mused, leaning against the kitchen counter while Baekhyun poured himself a cup of coffee. “Big hands, _big feet_ ….”

“Aren’t you taken?” Baekhyun interrupted, raising a brow toward Jongdae.

“I’m not saying for _me_ you idiot, I’m hinting that he’s exactly your type. Unless you changed your mind about Mr Guitar Hero?”

“Very funny.”

“Who knows, maybe the way his collar bones glistened with sweat under the spotlights made you start to sing a different tune.”

“Still writing that romance novel?”

“I prefer ‘Friend Fiction.’ This one’s titled ‘How the Stick Up Baekhyun’s Ass was Replaced with ---’”

“Jongdae, please.”

 

Given Baekhyun’s position at the firm, it was only a matter of time before he found himself across the conference table from Mr Wu Yifan and his associates. Office gossip, in Baekhyun’s opinion, did not do the man justice. Not only was he tall and handsome, but he had a deep voice (which Baekhyun was learning he was a sucker for) and an air of confidence that Baekhyun had yet to see matched -- and he’d met his share of confident CEOs. Baekhyun was more than pleased to catch Mr Wu’s eyes on him more than once during the course of the 45 minute meeting. Definitely a good sign.

After the meeting had come to a close, Baekhyun strategically remained behind -- under the pretense of cleaning up the conference table -- in order to introduce himself properly to Mr. Wu.

“Mr. Byun, was it?” Mr Wu stated as soon as his associates had cleared the room.

“Please, call me Baekhyun,” Baekhyun had become a master of the flirtatious, but still professional smile. He once again offered his hand to Mr Wu across the table. Making it a point to maintain eye contact before slowly dragging his eyes away from the handsome CEO.

“Baekhyun then. You can call me Yifan.... I have to run,” and Yifan looked somewhat disappointed, “ but I hope to see more of you around.”

“Looking forward to our partnership, Mister Wu.” Baekhyun gave one last smile before Yifan made his way out of the conference room, catching his associates at the elevator.

 

——————————

 

A week later, Mr Wu and associates had yet to return to finalize their contract with the firm. Baekhyun had almost been too distracted with other corporate dealings to notice.

To say Baekhyun had had a bad day would be an understatement. Negotiations were running sour between shareholders and a company executive, and even Baekhyun’s charms seemed unable to remedy the situation. On top of that, the rest of his team weren’t helping matters at all, leaving Baekhyun running most of the negotiations as well as cleaning up after his them.

Instead of working late yet another Friday, Baekhyun proclaimed ‘fuck it all’ to himself, and left promptly at 5pm.

Returning to his apartment that evening, Baekhyun couldn’t remember the last time he had made it home before sunset. As he discarded his suit jacket and looked for suitable evening attire, a certain yellow post-it on his nightstand caught his attention. Initially he eyed it wondering why he hadn’t relocated the damned thing as it definitely did not match his bedding, but as he made his way towards the paper, an idea popped into his head.

Before he could stop himself, Baekhyun was digging his cell phone out of his discarded pants, dialing the phone number and double checking the digits before he pressed ‘call.’

When a deep “Hello?” replaced the ringing sound, Baekhyun released the breath he had been unaware he was holding.

It wasn’t forty five minutes later that Baekhyun appeared knocking on Chanyeol’s door, inconspicuous black bags in hand. He raised them in a shrug as Chanyeol invited him into his apartment.

 

“You know, I never really wanted to go into corporate law.” Baekhyun said suddenly an hour or so after arriving, taking a swig of his beer. They were watching some lame action film Chanyeol managed to find the DVD for. Conversation had been sparse thus far, but somehow not awkward as the duo seemed content sipping (or in Baekhyun’s case, chugging) their beers in relative silence.

Baekhyun’s sudden remark, however, pulled Chanyeol’s attention away from the TV.

“I thought you said you always dreamed of being a lawyer?” Chanyeol looked over curiously, ignoring the lackluster explosions on the screen.

“I did, I _do_ , it’s just… “ Baekhyun sighed, “Human rights law, or criminal law is where you go if upholding justice is your passion…. corporate law is where the money is. I was so flattered when big name firms were recruiting me, and my professors told me I had the potential to be successful in litigation that I completely lost track of _why_ I was studying law in the first place. And now, here I am.”

Baekhyun deflated further into the couch as Chanyeol rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Everything is about the money, the shareholders, negotiations. Half the time it feels like I’m not even practicing law, just mediating the greed between two companies. But I am one hell of a good negotiator,” he took another swig. “I admit, I’m shallow and care more about prestige and income than passion, there’s a reason I said yes to the firm’s offers. Sometimes it gets to me though.”

Chanyeol gave a heavy sigh before hesitantly speaking.

“I honestly don’t know what to tell you, there’s nothing wrong with wanting certain things… But I know you didn’t invite yourself over for advice,” Chanyeol gave one last pat to Baekhyun’s shoulder before reaching for one of the black plastic bags on the floor. “You came over for this” he smirked, pulling out a bottle of Fireball, “among other things.”

“Good man. We’ll get to the ‘other things’ later, but for now, lets drink.” Baekhyun chuckled before hopping up from the couch to fetch some shot glasses.

 

 

Baekhyun knew he had a tendency to become a human octopus when intoxicated. A very chatty human octopus. Which explained why he was wrapped around Chanyeol, making it hard to tell where Chanyeol’s limbs ended and his began.

It started with (not so) innocent drinking games that Chanyeol suggested. Those resulted in Chanyeol losing his shirt and Baekhyun’s pants laying long forgotten on the floor. The bottle of Fireball was more than half empty, and Baekhyun had misplaced his shot glass about two rounds ago. When he couldn’t find it, he’d simply climbed into Chanyeol’s lap, as if that was the solution to everything.

They hadn’t even kissed yet, but Baekhyun found it hard to resist using Chanyeol as a heat source while their conversation drifted back and forth between what was on television and random tidbits of their lives that felt relevant enough to bring up.

Chanyeol hadn’t pushed him away when he crawled into his lap, nor had he made any attempts to get more physical as he talked about his decision to go into music education. Baekhyun could feel Chanyeol’s deep voice reverberate through his chest, and if it didn’t turn him on so much, he very well could have been lulled to sleep right then and there.

Baekhyun hadn’t been this drunk in a while, but he wasn’t going to let his blurred vision and lack of center of gravity deter him from his plans for the evening. With his eyes closed, and head resting against Chanyeol’s chest, Baekhyun began to trace his fingers gently up Chanyeol’s denim-clad legs.

Chanyeol sighed contentedly as Baekhyun’s fingers continued up to his chest and back down, face nuzzling further into the crook of Chanyeol’s neck. Baekhyun then began to suck on the portion of skin his mouth could reach as his hands continued to wander.

Knowing he had made his intentions quite clear, Baekhyun’s hands became more bold as he searched for a very specific area of Chanyeol’s anatomy. Although, he had to admit, the alcohol combined with their tangled position made it a little more difficult to find.

When his hands landed on a hardened bulge in the denim, Baekhyun began to lightly stroke it with the pads of his fingers. Chanyeol let out a grunt, which only encouraged Baekhyun further.

“Do you like that?” He half slurred, half whispered into Chanyeol’s neck. Chanyeol responded with a sharp intake of breath before his breathing became labored, almost like he was gasping for air. Baekhyun was too concentrated on making Chanyeol feel good to pay much mind to Chanyeol’s atypical reaction.

Baekhyun continued to rub his hand over the hardened bulge, moving his mouth from the base of Chanyeol’s jaw to his collar bone.

“Uh Baekhyun?” Chanyeol whispered hesitantly a few moments later, just as Baekhyun was beginning to suck a bruise into his collarbone.

“Mmmm?”’ Baekhyun moaned as he began rutting his hips, kicking up his groping a notch.

“Don’t be upset, because you’re still really hot and all... but you’ve been rubbing my knee cap for the past three minutes”

There was a pregnant pause before Chanyeol could no longer hold in his laughter and burst into baritone hysterics. Baekhyun opened his eyes, and once his vision cleared enough to focus, he found his hand was in fact resting on the curve of Chanyeol’s stupid, bony, blurry knee. His jaw dropped as he looked up to see Chanyeol’s shit-eating grin, tears already forming from his laughter.

Although he was horrified and embarrassed, Chanyeol’s laugh was contagious. Soon tears were streaming down his face as well. He wasn’t sure if it was from laughing or the sheer embarrassment of the situation combined with the alcohol flowing through his veins. All he knew was that the room was spinning and he could feel the couch bounce with each laugh Chanyeol emitted before he was being pulled by two strong arms and placed back against the younger’s chest.

 

“Sorry for laughing,” Chanyeol uttered minutes later while soothingly carding his fingers through Baekhyun’s hair.

“‘s alright, it _was_ kind of hilarious.” Baekhyun slurred, not daring to make eye contact again. He was still flushed with embarrassment, and would rather focus on the soothing tones of Chanyeol’s voice and his steady breathing. Baekhyun didn’t know if he wanted to jump out the window or tighten his hold on Chanyeol, who obviously held his liquor considerably better than the petite male.

The mood had been definitely been killed, if there even was a mood to begin with.

“I think it’s time to get you to bed?” Although Chanyeol phrased it as a question, he didn’t wait for a response before situating Baekhyun properly in his arms and heaving him off the couch. Baekhyun only had a faint recollection of being gingerly deposited on Chanyeol’s bed before the bed dipped with added weight next to him and everything went dark.

* * *

  
Everything hurt the next morning.

Baekhyun could barely open his eyes before he was running to the toilet adjacent to the bedroom. Images of the night previous flashed through his mind as he realized one very specific area of his body was not in pain. which was odd considering he definitely spent the night at Chanyeol’s, and he would only go to Chanyeol’s for one reason, right?

As he splashed water on his face, traces of the evening prior came back in blurred fragments, accompanied by a sinking feeling of embarrassment deep in his stomach. Baekhyun groaned before rinsing his mouth, head still throbbing as he made his way to the living room. Chanyeol was lounging on the couch in boxers and a tank top, an untouched six pack still sitting on the coffee table.

“How’s the head?” Chanyeol asked casually, greeting Baekhyun with a smile and patting a spot on the couch next to him.

“Feels like it just got run over by the entire Kentucky Derby.” Chanyeol let out a short bark of laughter, causing Baekhyun to grimace, “... and the Belmont Stakes. Actually, make it the entire Triple Crown.”

“I’ve heard the ultimate cure for hangovers is a Tuna sandwich and a beer,” Chanyeol suggested lightly.

“Ugh,” Baekhyun groaned, leaning his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder dramatically. “I already vomited once. Please refrain from the mentioning of any food items, or grease… or anything nauseating.”

Chanyeol hummed in acknowledgement and turned his attention to the baseball game on TV. Baekhyun lifted his head from Chanyeol’s shoulder, surprised at himself for making himself so comfortable.

“Please tell me you at least have the sense to root for the Samsung Lions,” Baekhyun remarked after noticing the teams playing.

“No way. LG Twins all the way.” Chanyeol stated with pride.

“They haven’t won a championship since 1994, Chanyeol. _Nineteen ninety four_.” Baekhyun closed his eyes in frustration, plopping his head on back Chanyeol’s shoulder.

“Hey! They made it to the playoffs last year!” Chanyeol protested, before adding, “There’s hope yet.”

“Sure there is,” Baekhyun mumbled, burying his head further into Chanyeol’s shoulder as a means to fight the aggravating headache.

The game continued with the pair exchanging sharp remarks here and there about their favored teams. Baekhyun was thankful for the idle time -- and Chanyeol’s abnormally comfortable shoulder -- to fight off his hangover. More than that, he realized that he hadn’t sat down to watch a baseball game on a Saturday in months, despite it being one of his favorite past times.

When it became clear that the Twins would, unsurprisingly to Baekhyun, lose the game, Chanyeol turned his attention away from the TV and began to softly run his fingers up and down Baekhyun’s arm.

Chanyeol tilted his head towards Baekhyun’s, “You rinsed out your mouth, right?”

“Of course. What do you think I am? A barbarian? I care about my enamel, thank you.”

“Hey, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol spoke again, in a voice even deeper, if possible.

“Hmm?”

“You know, we never got to those ‘other things’ last night.” Chanyeol uttered lowly before leaning down further and, after nudging Baekhyun’s nose with his own, slanting his lips against the elders’.

 

Chanyeol fucked him hard and fast, bent over the couch with Baekhyun begging for more; headaches and baseball rivalries long forgotten and replaced with pure pleasure.

They passed out not long after, and when Baekhyun awoke in the late afternoon, Chanyeol looked too peaceful to be disturbed.

Baekhyun made his exit quickly and quietly, intentionally neglecting to leave a note.

 

——————————

 

Calling Chanyeol on random evenings became routine. Baekhyun always called, Chanyeol was surprisingly always free. Sometimes they would meet at the ramen place around the corner from Chanyeol’s apartment, sometimes Chanyeol would show up with takeout cartons.

Their meet-ups followed a simple pattern: eat first, then screw.

Rarely did they deviate from the routine, aside from the occasional baseball game that they would agree to watch together. (Always last minute, of course, because Baekhyun didn’t want Chanyeol to get the idea that these meet-ups were dates. No, they were simply enjoying food, light conversation and each other’s bodies -- in that order.)

Sometimes Baekhyun skipped the formalities of eating, simply knocking on Chanyeol’s door and the second the door cracked open, attacking Chanyeol’s lips and shoving him in the direction of the bedroom.

 

However, Baekhyun soon discovered that even the most casual of routines have intimate consequences when he found not one but two pairs of Chanyeol’s boxers while folding his laundry. He then thought of the extra phone charger he had left plugged in at Chanyeol’s place for going on three weeks....

(He tried not to think about the fact that he could distinguish between Chanyeol’s course textbooks, or that Chanyeol seemed to know where every dish and pan was located in Baekhyun’s kitchen.)

 

——————————

 

Baekhyun woke up first one Saturday morning and meandered into Chanyeol’s kitchen. He wasn’t surprised to hear meowing before he was joined by Snuggles jumping up on the counter.

“I suppose you want to be fed?” Baekhyun asked the cat -- great, Chanyeol was rubbing off on him. He swore he saw the cat nod before he set down his glass of water and began to open cupboards in search of cat food, with little luck. He swore he saw the cat food in the cabinet above the toaster last time, but it was nowhere to be found.

“The food is on top of the fridge,” a groggy voice startled Baekhyun from the doorway.

Baekhyun turned sheepishly to be greeted by Chanyeol, in his boxers as always, smiling wide at both the petite man and his pet cat.

“I probably should consider putting it somewhere where average sized people could see it, “ Chanyeol added, moving towards Baekhyun before reaching atop the fridge and grabbing a can of food with ease.

“No need to adjust your habits for me…” Baekhyun remarked offhandedly, “... and I know I’m short, it’s okay to say it.”

“Nah, you’re perfect,” Chanyeol responded just as casually, distracted with scooping food into snuggles bowl.

Baekhyun told himself Chanyeol was talking to Snuggles.

 

——————————

 

“So you were with Chanyeol again last night?” Jongdae asked casually as he fiddled with the pens in a holder on Baekhyun’s desk.

“You already know the answer to that. Why are you asking?” Baekhyun inquired, looking up from his screen. He’d already gotten shit from Jongdae for wearing the same suit two days in a row -- a tell-tale sign he had spent the night somewhere outside his apartment.

“Just wondering. Are you sure you aren’t dating him, Baek?” Jongdae asked with caution.

Offended, Baekhyun huffed in exasperation. “Jongdae, we’ve been over this. It was just a one night stand.”

“Pretty sure ‘one night stand’ implies it’s a one time thing. You two have been going at it for weeks now.”

Waving his hand in dismissal, Baekhyun clarified, “‘One night stand,’ ‘casual sex,’ whatever. We both know we aren’t dating.”

“Does _Chanyeol_ know that? Or are you just assuming he can read your mind?”

“He knows. I don’t know how much clearer I could be at this point. Plus, I have my eyes set on bigger conquests once this merger goes through.”

“Ah, yes. Mr Wu Yifan. Your dream man who has barely said more than ten words to you in the entire month and a half we’ve been working with his company.”

“Shut up, I’m taking it slow. Strategy is key.”

“So what then, Chanyeol is just your ‘in-the-meantime-fuckbuddy’?”

“Something like that.”

“That doesn’t sound very fair, Hyunnie.” Jongdae said with resigned judgement.

 

“Life isn’t fair, Jongdae. But, I’m not stringing the guy along, we’ve talked about it and he knows where we stand. Why are you so concerned?”

 

Jongdae raised his hands in surrender before exiting Baekhyun's office in silence.

 

——————————

 

Weeks after initial negotiations, the contract had been finalized between Wu Associates and Baekhyun’s firm. Said firm decided to host another company function in celebration.

Baekhyun spent a good deal extra time fixing his hair and suit that evening. With business pretenses behind them, Baekhyun was looking forward to having a chance to ‘get to know’ the new client. Get to know, as in exchange numbers and hopefully secure a dinner date in the near future. If he’d read the signs correctly during their brief office encounters, Yifan was definitely interested. All he had to do was seal the deal.

After making the initial rounds of greetings, Baekhyun began his mission to find Yifan -- who honestly wasn’t too hard to miss since he towered over most of the guests in attendance. It only took a quick greeting before Yifan asked if he could buy Baekhyun a drink and the pair moved their conversation to the bar.

“So, are you satisfied with the new partnership?” Baekhyun began.

“Lets not talk about work,” Yifan said with a winning smile. “Legal jargon is so boring, and I think you’re too fascinating to waste my limited time with you talking about such things.”

Part of Baekhyun was flattered that Yifan thought him interesting, but part of him couldn’t help but be put off by the comment. After all, legal jargon and law were a huge part of who he was. He chose his career, even if he had slight inhibitions about the ethics behind it.

Trying to change the subject away from work, Baekhyun implored Yifan to share more about himself. Yifan was just about everything Baekhyun expected him to be: a young entrepreneur, hit it big in the market early on with his partner at the time, eventually bought out his shares of the company and mobilized for the international market. The man spoke four languages, had an apartment in LA, Beijing and Seoul. He was perfect on paper.

While Baekhyun played up his ‘that’s so fascinating’ expression -- and he made it a point to ask questions throughout to indicate his interest -- there was a part of him that felt that Yifan was reciting his resume, and it was giving Baekhyun very little to work with. Funny how he said Baekhyun was the interesting one, but he had yet to ask the petite male any questions.

Unwillingly, Baekhyun emitted a yawn just as Yifan got to talking on the dynamics of living between multiple world cities.

“I can see I’m boring you,” Yifan teased charmingly, stopping halfway through his story.

Embarrassed by his own mistake, Baekhyun blushed before waving his hands in denial. “No, no. I’m just a bit tired from the work week,” he smiled sweetly, knowing he wasn’t exactly lying -- he had had quite the busy week.

“How about this,” Yifan began, reaching in his pocket and producing a personal business card, “You get yourself rested, and I’ll take you out to dinner some time soon.” It wasn’t a question.

“I would… like that,” Baekhyun smiled genuinely, taking the card from Yifan’s hands and producing one of his own to exchange.  
“It’s a tentative date then.”

 

Baekhyun wondered why he went to bed that night not feeling nearly as satisfied with himself as he thought he should.

 

——————————

 

Feeling semi refreshed after the company party, Baekhyun woke bright and early on Saturday morning. While he reveled in the free time, by noon he was beginning to go a little stir crazy from lounging around in his pajamas alone. With little else on his agenda, he tried thinking of activities to occupy himself for the remainder of the day. Considering he hadn’t been shopping yet that week, he changed into his casual clothes and made his way to the grocery store down the street.

While his intentions were to restock his own fridge, Baekhyun found himself distracted by the bakery section and their wide variety of bagel flavors. His mind instantly flashed to Chanyeol’s sparsely filled refrigerator and the plain bagels resting atop it. Deciding it would be an act of good will, Baekhyun purchased a dozen mixed flavor bagels before continuing shopping.

The only issue was, the more he shopped, the more he was reminded of how little food Chanyeol kept in his apartment. He knew the man kept ramen and bagels, along with coffee, but that was about it. Almost without thinking Baekhyun continued to add food items to his cart with the tall guitarist in mind.

One hour and eighty dollars later, Baekhyun exited the grocery store with twice as many bags as he intended to walk away with -- only one of them being filled with groceries for himself. He promptly grabbed a taxi and rode the short distance to Chanyeol’s apartment, not feeling the need to call ahead since he knew Chanyeol generally spent Saturday afternoons at home studying.

His knock on the door was answered quickly and before Chanyeol could greet him, Baekhyun exclaimed “Surprise!” and held up the shopping bags.

“What do you have there?” Chanyeol teased as Baekhyun pushed past the man, stepping directly towards the kitchen.

“I was out shopping, and I saw some bagels and thought you might like to try some new flavors. Then I remembered how tragically empty your refrigerator was, so I grabbed a few basic food items to fill it,” Baekhyun was now unloading the few bags on the kitchen table, sorting between things that needed to be refrigerated and those that didn’t. “Honestly, it’s a wonder you’re still alive with the crap you eat daily,” Baekhyun meant it as a lighthearted comment, but Chanyeol instantly tensed at the words.

“Baekhyun, I’m not a child.” Chanyeol said with a new tone of seriousness.

Baekhyun made a incredulous face. “Obviously, Chanyeol. But, I mean… don’t you want a little bagel variety in your life? Sesame seed is a big step up from the plain bagels you ingest every morning.”

“I know how to keep groceries in my own apartment, Baek,” Baekhyun halted at the recurrence of the new nickname.

“Sure you do. Look Chanyeol, if I didn’t know better I would think you were some college student from how much ramen you consume weekly. “

“I _am_ a college student….”

“You work four different jobs —“

“Three.”

“ _Three_ different jobs. You don’t keep any food around this place except ramen, coffee and bagels. My grandma used to tell me that the mark of a true adult was someone who could keep the fridge stocked,-- and had a spice cabinet -- although that’s slightly beside the point….” Baekhyun said with a playful, almost motherly tone.

Suddenly it didn’t feel like they were arguing about Chanyeol’s lack of a balanced diet anymore.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol’s mouth made a firm line as he collected his thoughts. “I don’t keep food in the house because I rarely eat at home, there’s no point in stocking up a fridge with things I’ll never use. Yes, I’m still in Graduate school, but that’s because I took some time after undergrad to figure out what I really wanted to do in the future, I didn’t want to rush into things. You seem to forget that I live on my own, I pay my own bills, I get by just fine _on my own_. Forgive me for not being a developed career man by now, but I’m happy. I enjoy my jobs, I enjoy my school, the same way you enjoy your career. You can’t fault me for taking a different route to get where I want to be just because it doesn’t match your prescribed order of ‘adult development.’ Maybe if you pulled that giant stick out of your ass you’d realize that.”

Sighing heavily, Chanyeol ran his hand through his hair one last time and exited the kitchen without sparing Baekhyun a glance, leaving him alone in the kitchen holding a bag of arugula now rendered useless through Chanyeol’s rant.

After collecting his thoughts, Baekhyun found Chanyeol sitting on his worn couch, mindlessly flipping through channels. If Chanyeol sensed Baekhyun’s presence, he gave no indication.

“Chanyeol… I uh,” Baekhyun began, not knowing why he suddenly felt so guilty, “I’m…. sorry. I was out of line. I just was bored at the grocery store and thought I could buy some things for you since I’ve spent a lot of time here recently. It’s not my place to pass judgement on your life, especially if we aren’t even _together_ ,” Baekhyun scoffed as Chanyeol finally turned his attention away from the TV. “Jongdae always tells me I have my head up my own ass” he said to himself more than anyone, “I guess sometimes… I just….”

“It’s okay.” Chanyeol interrupted, “I know you didn’t mean any harm. I was frustrated too. Plus, fresh vegetables intimidate me.”

Baekhyun smiled, heaving sigh of relief. He didn’t know why the idea of arguing with Chanyeol unnerved him so much. He argued with people all day, it was sort of his job, and Chanyeol was nothing more than a guy who he sometimes -- regularly -- slept with…. right?

Baekhyun wasn’t ready to answer that.

Ignoring his conflicted mind, Baekhyun moved to fill the space next to Chanyeol on the couch.

“So we’re good?” He asked hesitantly.

“We’re good,” Chanyeol threw his arm around Baekhyun’s shoulders and smiled so wide Baekhyun’s heart swelled with a strange affection. It scared him even more.

Ignoring the fact that he had just sat down, Baekhyun rose suddenly.

“Right, well. Good. I’m going to head out. Early morning tomorrow and everything,” He sounded much more flustered than he intended and turned towards the door quickly as if that would fight the blush that was creeping up his cheeks.

“Okay? Uh, see you later then?”

“Right, right. Goodnight Chanyeol.”

“It’s three in the afternoon.”

“Oh. Good afternoon? Um, Bye.”

 

———————————————

 

Almost a week had passed since the grocery incident, and Baekhyun had made it a point to distance himself from Chanyeol a little bit. Their mini-argument had left a bitter feeling in the pit of his stomach and he figured he needed some time away from the man in order to let it dissipate.

Jongdae had commented on his dark change of attitude, but Baekhyun simply credited it to not hearing from Yifan about their tentative date yet.

He was surprised when his phone went off during his drive home from work and “Chanyeol” flashed across the screen, along with a text message asking Baekhyun if he wanted to come over. Baekhyun had no reason to decline, and after changing his clothes at home, made his way over to Chanyeol’s.

 

Almost as soon as he knocked on the door, it was flung open. Chanyeol skipped all the pleasantries and instead instantly took hold of Baekhyun’s face with both of his hands before kissing him with a force different from any of their previous encounters. Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun into the apartment, shoving the door shut with his foot before he began pushing them towards the bedroom.

As Baekhyun’s knees hit the edge of the bed, Chanyeol laid him down gently, encasing Baekhyun between his knees to hover above him. Finally separating his lips from Baekhyun’s, Chanyeol moved his focus to Baekhyun’s neck, hand slinking under his shirt and rubbing up the cool skin of his abdomen.

“I missed this,” Chanyeol said in a whisper between kisses, “I missed… you.”

If Baekhyun wasn’t already breathless, he would have had the air knocked out of him. A whirlwind of emotions began to float through his mind, none producing a coherent response. Instead, he pulled Chanyeol’s head up by his hair and reconnected their lips -- partially to stop Chanyeol for spewing any more emotional confessions, and partially to stop himself from admitting that he too missed this. Whatever it was.

A heavy air descended upon the two as Chanyeol took his sweet time undressing Baekhyun, placing kisses anywhere his lips could reach. Baekhyun wasn’t faring too well, anxiously reaching for the fly of Chanyeol’s zipper before his hands were swatted away.

Chanyeol continued to tease, taking things so slowly Baekhyun thought he would explode. Once Chanyeol was finally inside of him, all of Baekhyun’s usual demands died on his lips and instead he surrendered himself to Chanyeol completely. He only managed to pull Chanyeol down to join their lips through his climax, almost sobbing into Chanyeol’s mouth with bliss.

The heavy atmosphere didn’t dissipate in the afterglow, instead, Chanyeol rolled Baekhyun into his arms, fingers carding through his hair before Baekhyun drifted off into dreamland.

 

The next morning, Baekhyun was surprised to wake with his head against a warm chest and his legs tightly intertwined between the taller’s.

Noticing Baekhyun stirring, Chanyeol mumbled, “I found a solution to your kicking problem,” before chuckling and tightening his hold on Baekhyun’s legs.

Baekhyun lifted his head slightly to look at Chanyeol, but as he did so he felt the tell-tale sign of his drool on Chanyeol’s chest.

“I have yet to find a solution for that problem,” Chanyeol chuckled as Baekhyun scrunched his nose in distaste. “But I don’t mind, I’ve had worse fluids of yours on me.”

Baekhyun didn’t know if he should be touched or grossed out. (Neither stopped his heart from beating erratically until he forcefully untangled himself, locking himself in the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face.)

 

———————————————

After the [what Baekhyun refused to call] make-up sex, things seemed to return to normal.

Yifan finally called, asking Baekhyun out for a proper dinner date that coming Friday. Baekhyun smiled into the receiver as he agreed, earning a suggestive eyebrow wiggle from Jongdae.

———————————————

In the meantime, Baekhyun very much regretted calling up Chanyeol on a Monday night, because that meant he either had to wake up at 6am to run back to his apartment and change, or -- more likely, given his hatred of waking before noon -- he would have to wear the previous days suit to work again.

Despite his best efforts to not wake the sleeping giant, Chanyeol stirred almost as soon as Baekhyun padded off to the bathroom. After he emerged from the shower and dressed himself, he sauntered towards the kitchen, adjusting his tie and praying that the wrinkles in his recycled his shirt wouldn’t be noticed throughout the day.

Seeing Chanyeol’s bare back hunched over Snuggles counter territory had become an expected sight for Baekhyun on mornings such as this one. Chanyeol was casually petting the fat cat, waiting for the coffee to finish brewing, two mugs already set out on the counter.

“You know I never manage to wake up early enough to drink coffee before I head out on a weekday,” Baekhyun stated plainly, walking towards Chanyeol and Snuggles while throwing on his suit jacket.

“Yet, we always hope,” Chanyeol sighed with mock disappointment.

Baekhyun raised his eyebrows before reaching to grab a raw bagel from behind Chanyeol. As he moved to back away from the counter, Chanyeol gently grabbed his arm.

“Hey, my band is playing at SM again this Friday. You’re always welcome to come.”

It wasn’t the first time Chanyeol had invited him to stop by a show, but it was the first time Baekhyun had a legitimate excuse for opting out.

“I can’t this Friday, I have a date with Yifan.” Almost as soon as words left his mouth, Baekhyun grimaced, knowing he had probably said too much (but not understanding why it bothered him that he did).

“Oh.” The hand on his arm fell, and Chanyeol turned his attention back to Snuggles. “Well, have fun then.”

Baekhyun quietly took his leave, pretending to ignore the awkward atmosphere that had overtaken the apartment as soon as Yifan’s name had escaped his lips. It wasn’t Chanyeol’s place to care, nor was it his place to worry about Chanyeol’s feelings.

 

If that was the case, then why did it hurt when Chanyeol didn’t answer his phone call for the first time two days later?

 

——————————

 

Yifan picked Baekhyun up from his apartment at 6pm on the dot that Friday. Yifan actually rang the bell, which startled Baekhyun since Chanyeol always insisted on knocking (saying the bell was too shrill for his ears). He didn’t realize how long it had been since he’d had company that wasn’t Chanyeol.

Dinner was a relatively quiet affair, unless Baekhyun counted Yifan rambling about his own life. Baekhyun attempted to work baseball into the conversation as a means of making it an actual _conversation_ , but the mention of sports only lead Yifan to discussing his high school basketball career. Baekhyun’s shoulders slumped in resignation as he listened to Yifan continue to boast his amazing point guard skills.

Baekhyun wasn’t bored necessarily, it was nice to get to know the man behind the handsome face, but he still made quick work of his wine in order to force out the thoughts that if he were with Chanyeol, (who would never take him to such a fancy restaurant), he might actually be conversing and not simply listening to the other male talk.

When the dinner drew toward a close, Yifan ushered Baekhyun out of the restaurant and towards his car. At the last minute, Baekhyun spoke up.

“Actually, I think I’ll just take the subway home. My apartment is out of the way for you anyway.” Despite Yifan’s polite instances, Baekhyun managed to steer himself away from Yifan’s car. Yifan bid him goodnight, and when he went in for a kiss, Baekhyun turned his head, surprising even himself as Yifan placed a confused peck on his cheek instead of his lips.

Once Yifan had driven away, Baekhyun moved towards the subway station and immediately boarded a train -- although not towards his apartment.

 

SM was just as Baekhyun had remembered it from months ago. The dingy walls with paint chipping off here and there, the makeshift stage, the well stocked bar and the motley crue of customers loitering both inside and outside the venue. He didn’t have to search long before he spotted Chanyeol, surrounded by his band mates. It was clear the had already played their set and were simply lingering around the venue with a few other bands.

Chanyeol spotted Baekhyun quickly enough once the petite male began making his way towards the band. Baekhyun watched him excuse himself before he met Baekhyun halfway.

“What are you doing here?” Chanyeol’s tone sounding remarkably flat in comparison to his usual expressive nature.

“I hadn’t heard from you in a few days,” Baekhyun said casually, shrugging his shoulders. “How was the show?” Baekhyun changed the subject.

“It was decent. Usual crowd, nothing too impressive. You didn’t miss much,” Chanyeol said, sparing a skeptical glance towards Baekhyun. Sensing the awkward feeling between them, Baekhyun reached and took Chanyeol’s hand in his own, casually running his fingers along the back of Chanyeol’s palm.

“If you’re all done here, do you want to head out?” Baekhyun asked innocently, looking up through his eyelashes and meeting Chanyeol’s seemingly indifferent stare.

Chanyeol removed his hand from Baekhyun’s, running his fingers through his slightly sweat-slicked hair.

“Didn’t you have a _date_ tonight, Baekhyun?” He asked, tone indifferent.

Baekhyun stumbled, “Well, yes. But that ended a bit ago and I thought I would stop by your show, since you invited me and all. I’m sorry I didn’t make it before your set finished.” Deep down, Baekhyun knew he had no right to get defensive with Chanyeol, but he couldn’t stop himself.

“‘A bit ago,’” Chanyeol echoed exasperatedly, pausing for a moment to gather his thoughts. “Why are you really here Baekhyun?” He asked flatly, face showing no emotion beyond his guarded eyes.

“I told you, I - I wanted to see you?” The uncertainty in Baekhyun’s reply was enough to set Chanyeol off.

“You wanted to _see_ me? Or you wanted me to fuck you? Or both? And then pretend it doesn’t mean anything, right? Because it doesn’t mean anything to you? You’re out there wine-ing and dining while I’m just the embarrassing stain on your bedsheets in the meantime, right?” While Chanyeol never raised his voice, Baekhyun could tell he was doing his best to control his tone.

Baekhyun was at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing without any coherent sound breaking through to defend himself. As much as he wanted to deny the accusations to Chanyeol’s face, hadn’t he already confirmed all those sentiments with Jongdae weeks before? What had changed since then? Instead of speaking, he gave up, looking down at his shoes. He regretted ever coming to SM in the first place.

“Whatever I am to you, I can’t be that anymore,” Chanyeol said, hoisting his bag over his shoulder and turning towards the back exit. “Find someone else to call every night of the week, because I won’t answer anymore. I _can’t_ answer anymore.” Baekhyun could hear Chanyeol turn on his heels, but refused to look up until he knew the guitarist was a safe distance away.

It certainly wasn’t the single glass of wine that was causing Baekhyun’s head to spin and stomach to churn. No, that was definitely guilt and anxiety that started to eat at him the minute Chanyeol’s back disappeared from view.

 

——————————

 

Yifan had chosen an up and coming restaurant where Baekhyun had heard it was nearly impossible to get a reservation. Per usual, Yifan was a complete gentleman, pulling Baekhyun’s chair out for him (although he was more than okay with doing it himself) and even taking the liberty of recommending dishes to Baekhyun.

After the initial pleasantries the couple exchanged light small talk as they picked at their food. Baekhyun was trying to make his dish last as he had a mental word with whoever decided that smaller portions were an essential element of ‘fine dining.’

It wasn’t long before the conversation ran out, and Baekhyun was grasping at straws trying to find a suitable subject of conversation but coming up blank.

There he was, cutting his [tiny] filet mignon, when a thought suddenly hit him.

“You know, I like talking about work.” Baekhyun set his fork and knife down and looking to Yifan who raised an eyebrow at the sudden topic.

“Okay….?”

“I mean, I actually enjoy it. I like discussing cases, within reason, and laughing about CEO’s tupes and teasing their second wives horrible Botox jobs, and complaining about Jongdae and Joonmyeon’s office love affair, and letting out my frustrations at the end of the day.”

Sensing that Yifan had no response, Baekhyun continued. He was on a roll anyway.

“And I actually like ramen, even though I pretend not to. I keep a secret stash in the back of my cupboard for when I’m working late on a case. It actually fills me, unlike,” he made a vague gesture at his plate, “whatever this is.

“I like fat cats who have to eat every time you walk in the kitchen. Do you have a cat, Yifan?”

“Uh, no.”

“Right. Well, I like them. Specifically I like Snuggles and how he thinks he owns the apartment…. I like arguing loudly about baseball and then making out instead of reaching a consensus. And…. Oh my God.” Baekhyun realized exactly where his little rant was headed.

“I’ve been cheating on you!” He said with more excitement than guilt.

Yifan’s eyes widened, looking at Baekhyun as if he had grown three heads and was doing the Macarena on top of the table.

“Actually, no. I’ve been cheating on Chanyeol _with you_!” Baekhyun was now laughing hysterically, tears forming in the corners of his eyes. “Because I’m so _stupid_ and thought that I had to have a stick up my ass and date guys like you - no offense - just because I am successful! And sure, you’re tall with a deep voice, but your eye doesn’t twitch when you laugh, ruining your almost perfect face. You don’t laugh with me or call me out on my bullshit. You don’t play guitar and forget to cut your hair and keep powdered creamer for your coffee because the milk always expires before you use it all. I imagine you’re very good with expiration dates…”

Baekhyun took a deep breath.

“And at the end of the day, I’m just a huge idiot because I let him get away.”

“Uh… who? The cat?” Yifan was overwhelmed. How did they get from discussing medium rare vs medium to this?

“Chanyeol! I chased him off! I kept telling myself it was just sex but for Christ’s sake I know what cat food Snuggles eats five times a day!”

Although it seemed like a non-sequitur to Yifan, to Baekhyun it all made perfect sense.

“I dated you… thinking I could prove something about myself. Or rather, disprove what I knew I was feeling….” Baekhyun recovered from his hysteria, and offered Yifan a sincere smile. “I’m sorry. It’s really not you, I’m the idiot.”

And with that he stood up in his seat, politely placing his folded napkin on the table.

“I need to go. Thank you for dinner. I’m… uh, sorry about the outburst.”

Yifan, still in shock, could only offer a small wave as Baekhyun turned on his heels and swiftly exited the restaurant.

 

However, as soon as Baekhyun was greeted with the chill of the fall air, his determination dissipated. He had no idea where he was going now. Chanyeol wanted nothing to do with him and he had pretty much just severed any hope of a relationship with Yifan. He grabbed a cab back to his apartment, where instead of sleeping, he replayed the past few months of his life.

He realized, deep down, that he knew all along. Sure the first couple of times he had been with Chanyeol, it had genuinely just been about the sex. But somewhere along the way, everything changed. Chanyeol’s smiles didn’t just make him rage with lust, they made his stomach do little flip flops. He stopped seeking Chanyeol out to satisfy his libido and instead turned to him as the person who would run his fingers through Baekhyun’s hair as he talked for 45 minutes straight about office politics and his latest client.

Chanyeol was…. everything Baekhyun wanted and he was so determined to set boundaries, to write Chanyeol off, that he had missed his chance.

 

——————————

 

“You’re an idiot,” Jongdae sighed, sitting across from Baekhyun during their lunch break.

“Thanks, Captain Obvious. I kind of figured that out mid-soliloquy in a five-star restaurant.”

“I think you mean monologue -- ”

“Let’s not,” Baekhyun put a hand up, effectively shutting Jongdae up. “The real question is: how do I fix it. How _can_ I fix it? I think I made my point pretty clear to Chanyeol and now he wants nothing to do with me,” Baekhyun pouted.

“Well, that’s not entirely true,” Jongdae offered, curving his lips in a small smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Well -- based on what you’ve told me -- Chanyeol was done with the ‘ _casual_ ’ thing you were so adamant about maintaining. He never said anything about not wanting to _be_ with you.”

Baekhyun raised his brows in consideration before Jongdae continued, “In fact, it would seem the whole reason he told you to fuck off was because you were being a selfish asshole -- as expected -- and ignoring his potential feelings. You were running the entire show, and I’m sure the poor guy got sick of you pushing him away only to call him up four days later to critique his choice of groceries and demand a proper fuck.”

“I’m not denying that, but--”

“Furthermore,” Jongdae interjected raising his index finger in the air, “relationships are all about communication, and all you ever told the poor guy was that you definitely ‘weren’t even together.’ Multiple times, if I remember correctly. Honestly, it’s a wonder he put up with you as long as he did. He must have really liked you.” Jongdae leaned back in his chair, smugly satisfied with his own analysis.

Baekhyun knew Jongdae was being an ass, but he also knew Jongdae was making a very legitimate point.

Jongdae drew a heavy breath, ready to continue his mini-lecture before Baekhyun cut in, “You’ve made your point Dr. Kim, but what do I do to _fix_ it?”

“See that’s the easy part, you apologize and tell him how you really feel. I’m sure even someone with the emotional depth of a shot glass like yourself would know that.”

“Right. The _easy_ part.”

Baekhyun was so screwed.

 

——————————

After a week of sulking, Baekhyun finally put his pride on the line and sought out Joonmyeon to ask when Jongin’s band’s next gig would be.

 _“Ah, Jongdae told me it would only be a matter of time before you came to ask me that,” Joonmyeon hummed casually._

 _“That little fucker.”_

 

——————————

 

Stumbling into SM, still in his work suit, Baekhyun wasted no time in winding his way behind the stage. He was disappointed to see no signs of the lanky guitarist. He did, however, spot Jongin a few minutes after wondering around the venue. The tan male was pre-occupied with wrapping up amp chords when Baekhyun tapped him on the shoulder, catching his attention.

After a brief moment of confusion, Jongin’s eyes flashed with recognition.

“You’re Chanyeol’s Ex right? The one who is friends with Joonmyeon?”

“His ‘ex’?”

“Sorry, I don’t know what else to call you. I assumed since you two were together all the time and he had an extra toothbrush in his bathroom that it was you he was seeing. Maybe I’m confused?”

“No! No, that was definitely _my_ toothbrush,” Baekhyun didn’t really have time to think about why he was so adamant about claiming that toothbrush (and the bathroom, and the man who lived there…) before he asked Jongin, “Where is Chanyeol?”

“Probably out back with the van,” Jongin offered, perplexed by Baekhyun’s eagerness.

“Thanks!” Was all he heard before Baekhyun took off in the opposite direction.

 

It would take an idiot to miss Park Chanyeol, in all his six foot glory, cursing at the amp he had just accidentally dropped on his toe before Baekhyun emerged in the back parking lot.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun hollered, trying to get the younger’s attention.

Chanyeol looked up from the indignant amplifier, brows knitting in confusion before he could make out Baekhyun’s approaching figure. He didn’t say a word as Baekhyun got closer, instead he shifted his expression towards the ground in apathy.

“Chanyeol,” Baekhyun repeated breathily when he stopped directly in front of the guitarist. There were a million things he wanted to say, about his own selfishness, Chanyeol’s kindness; how he was an idiot; how he missed Snuggles; that Chanyeol was still an idiot for rooting for a losing baseball team; but that he liked him anyway; that Chanyeol didn’t need a five year plan; that he knew the contents of Chanyeol’s refrigerator and never meant to insult his choice of bagels…. But he knew all those words weren’t necessary to get his point across. There were only a few words that needed to be spoken in that moment, and none of them had anything to do with bagels or baseball.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted after a minute of silence, wishing desperately for Chanyeol to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry for pushing you away. I like you. I might even -- but that’s not the point! Well it is, but, the biggest point is that I’m sorry.” So much for not rambling.

Chanyeol remained silent. Presumably processing both Baekhyun’s words and the throbbing pain in his toe.

“Just, please. Look at me,” Baekhyun was generally above begging, but for Chanyeol he was willing to make all the exceptions.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chanyeol moved his gaze from the pavement to Baekhyun’s pleading eyes. Baekhyun could see Chanyeol mulling over his words, considering their implications.

“I’m sorry Chanyeol, I pushed you away. But the fact of the matter is I like being with you, I _want_ to be with you. I--”

“Snuggles misses you,” Chanyeol cut in suddenly.

“What?”

“I think you fed him even more than I did. You really have to be careful in the future, you know, feline obesity is an epidemic.”

“The... future?”

“You said you wanted to be with me, right?” Chanyeol began to smirk, “Well,” He moved, tracing a finger along Baekhyun’s jaw affectionately, “As far as I’m concerned, I’ve been ‘with’ you for a while now. I was just waiting for you to come around and stop being an idiot. I don’t need a dramatic apology, or proclamation of love from you. Just hearing that you want this too is more than enough for me.”

Baekhyun was rendered speechless. Here, he was expecting some dramatic final showdown. Maybe a few tears, before the hopeful kiss and make-up scene all the dramas he watched told him was mandatory after confessions. Instead, there was Park Chanyeol, looking at him the way he always did; smiling at Baekhyun like the sun shined out his ass, like he always did… and that was more than enough.

“So, we’re good?” Baekhyun asked hesitantly.

“Yes, Baekhyun, we’re always ‘good.’” Chanyeol said before leaning down and sealing the deal with his lips, throbbing toe long forgotten.

… That was until Baekhyun got a little too excited and grabbed Chanyeol by the collar of his shirt, stumbling forward and stomping his foot directly on said injured toe.


	2. Epilogue: Of Grocery Stores and Anniversaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been one month since they made things official, and Chanyeol has his own way of celebrating.

It had been one month since they’d made things official in the dimly lit parking lot of SM (and in Chanyeol’s equally dimly lit apartment later that evening). On the whole, the month hadn't passed much differently than the times they spent together before Baekhyun's confession. They still followed the routine of eating and screwing, only now they reffered to those dinners as 'dates' and the sex felt less like a lust-filled race to a finish line and more like a genuine act of passion. Baekhyun still vented about work and Chanyeol still carded his fingers through his hair before distracting Baekhyun with his lips.

If anything, the first month of 'being official' had confirmed Jongdae's insistances that the pair had been dating all along -- although Baekhyun would never admit that to Jongdae's face.

Baekhyun wasn’t really one for anniversary celebrations, especially for something as seemingly inconsequential as the first month, but Chanyeol seemed overly excited about the prospect of being able to do something for the petite lawyer -- and to finally be able to acknowledge that they were official. It didn’t help that Chanyeol had guilted him into celebrating their big ‘one month’ by bringing up how Baekhyun had all but strung him along as a sex-buddy for three months prior to confessing.

Chanyeol also promised he wouldn’t go for anything too over the top, just an outing and dinner — or “something simple and sweet,” in his own words.

That’s why when Baekhyun found himself standing outside of the local grocery store, hand in hand with his boyfriend of one month, he raised his eyebrows in suspicion.

“We’re celebrating our one month anniversary at Hanaro Mart?” He asked skeptically.

“Something like that,” Chanyeol responded with a silly grin, squeezing Baekhyun’s hand reassuringly.

“You couldn’t have told me that _before_ I got all dressed up?” Baekhyun shot back before gesturing towards his suit jacket and collared shirt that was neatly tucked into his pants.

“Nope.” Chanyeol smiled again, “I like seeing you all dressed up. I’m oddly turned on by how intimidating you look in a suit.”

Baekhyun couldn’t help but chuckle at the comment, making a mental note of Chanyeol’s particular preferences before he was gently tugged through the automatic doors.

Chanyeol made quick work of steering through the middle aged women and securing a cart. Baekhyun stared incredulously at the buggy, waiting for further instruction.

“Go wild,” was all Chanyeol said before passing the cart off to Baekhyun, who continued to look back and forth between the cart and Chanyeol, confusion marring his features.

Sensing that Baekhyun was going to need a little more direction, Chanyeol took a deep breath before explaining, “You always complain about the lack of ‘proper food’ in my apartment, and since you spend even more time at my place now, I thought it would be a good idea to let you stock the fridge. Plus,” he added as an afterthought, “our first real fight was over arugula and bagels so…” Chanyeol then drifted off, embarrassed by his own sentimentality.

When everything clicked for Baekhyun, he smiled widely and reached for Chanyeol’s hand. “That’s actually kind of sweet,” he reassured before smiling more wickedly, “So you’re saying I can choose whatever I want?”

Chanyeol tucked his upper lip and nodded.

“… and you’re fronting the bill?” Baekhyun quickly clarified.

Chanyeol nodded again.

One of the things Baekhyun appreciated most about Chanyeol was his incredible memory of the little things that made Baekhyun happy. The idea that Chanyeol had planned something as small as grocery shopping for their anniversary touched him. Chanyeol, like Baekhyun, didn’t see the need for exuberant displays of affection. Instead, he showed Baekhyun he cared by letting Baekhyun indulge his inner control freak and grocery snob.

Baekhyun’s original hesitancy was almost instantly replaced by pure glee as he began to steer the grocery cart towards the produce section, Chanyeol following close behind. Baekhyun was like a kid in a candy store, and was more than willing to show off his grocery knowledge.

Baekhyun made a point of identifying the various produce items to an amused Chanyeol as he haphazardly tossed them into the cart. He was pretty sure Chanyeol stopped keeping track after the fourth variety of mushrooms, but that didn’t stop the guitarist from smiling and nodding along anyway.

While vegetable varieties may have been slightly over his head, Chanyeol managed to entertain himself by seeking out the most phallic produce items and whispering dirty innuendos in Baekhyun’s ear -- along with pantomiming several very crude gestures when he was sure no one besides Baekhyun was looking.

“Freud would probably have a field day with you and your over-zealous interest in all these penis shaped vegetables,” Chanyeol mumbled under his breath after Baekhyun threw yet another humorously shaped squash variety into the cart before continuing on towards the cucumbers.

“These are really nice,” Baekhyun said, pointedly ignoring Chanyeol’s observation as he tried to select the best cucumber to purchase, “maybe I’ll teach you how to make kimbap someday.”

“I’ve already got a nice big cucumber back at my place for you,” Chanyeol teased a little too loudly, earning the couple a judgmental stare from an ahjumma who happened to be within hearing range.

Mortified, Baekhyun bowed in apology before turning smacking Chanyeol in the chest with a cucumber.

“Watch it, or that will be the only cucumber you celebrate our anniversary with,” Baekhyun said sternly, wagging the cucumber in his hand in Chanyeol’s face for emphasis. (Though his lips betrayed him by curving upwards halfway through the sentence.)

Chanyeol exaggeratedly shook his head in understanding, pursing his lips in a slight pout.

 

“Oh! How is Snuggles on food?” Baekhyun asked as they passed by the pet care aisle.

“Well, he certainly hasn’t taken well to his new kitty diet and I may or may not have given in and fed him a few extra cans this week...” Chanyeol admitted sheepishly.

Needing no further explanation, Baekhyun steered the cart down the aisle, grabbing several cans of Snuggles favorite flavors and adding them to the cart.

 

The shopping continued, with Baekhyun making sure to supply Chanyeol with a balanced selection of healthy foods and snack foods for his late night study sessions. Baekhyun also made sure to buy a variety of bagels, and even managed to coerce Chanyeol into trying out new flavors of cream cheese -- though Chanyeol remained very skeptical as to why anyone would want strawberry flavor anywhere near their bagel.

Seeing Chanyeol’s growing discomfort at the amount of mysterious foods the shopping cart had collected, Baekhyun decided to throw the guy a bone and add a few items he knew would make Chanyeol happy.

“One final thing,” Baekhyun added as he stopped in front of the ramen selection, reaching towards the top shelf and grabbing a five pack of his favorite brand.

“I believe you once said, and I quote, ‘no man should survive on ramen,’’” Chanyeol commented from behind Baekhyun.

“Well obviously that’s still true,” Baekhyun countered, “but this is Shin Ramyeon _Black_ and it is definitely a step up from whatever off-brand you currently keep in your cabinet.”

“If you say so,” Chanyeol conceded, gesturing for Baekhyun to place the package in the cart. Baekhyun then decided that he may never get Chanyeol to eat completely healthy, but he could at least up his ramen game a couple notches.

 

True to his word, Chanyeol paid for all the groceries at check out, smiling at Baekhyun as he handed his card over to the cashier; mouthing a ‘happy anniversary’ to Baekhyun, who responded by rolling his eyes.

 

“So, what do you think about your anniversary present?” Chanyeol asked as they hoisted the grocery bags out of the cart before beginning their walk back to Chanyeol’s apartment.

“I love it,” Baekhyun responded quickly, halting his actions for a minute to look Chanyeol in the eye.

“I’m glad,” Chanyeol said, a proud smile overtaking his face. It was Baekhyun’s favorite smile — the one where his right eye twitched and he looked more like a serial killer than a rock God. When Chanyeol looked so endearingly ridiculous, Baekhyun found it hard not to reciprocate with his own equally giddy smile. It was in that moment that the thoughts Baekhyun had been tossing around in his head for a month were finally ready to be verbalized.

“That’s not the only thing I love,” Baekhyun added after a moment.

“If you’re gonna say you love my 'cucumber,' I already know that and you don’t have to suck up to me to get laid tonight. That’s already written into my anniversary schedule,” Chanyeol quipped, turning his attention back to the grocery bags.

“Actually, Mr. Cocky-pants,” Baekhyun said, shaking his head and laughing before directing his attention back to Chanyeol, and nervously shifting his weight on his feet, “What I was _going_ to say before I was ever-so-rudely interrupted was… I also love you.”

Chanyeol was caught off guard for only a millisecond before his set down the bags he had draped on his forearm and beamed down at Baekhyun.

“Well that’s quite the anniversary present,” Chanyeol said gently, moving to trace his fingers along Baekhyun’s jaw -- a gesture Baekhyun had learned the guitarist was quite fond of.

“You’re supposed to say it back now,” Baekhyun prompted after a few moments of silence, half teasing half clenching his teeth in anxious frustration.

Chanyeol gave a hearty laugh before leaning in and placing his forehead against Baekhyun’s.

“I love you too,” Chanyeol reassured, “Even if you have a slightly concerning obsession with phallic produce.”

Before Baekhyun could give a snarky reply, Chanyeol’s lips were on his, effectively wiping his thoughts of any sassy remark.

 

“Do you have a thing for confessing to me in parking lots?” Chanyeol mused once their lips separated.

Baekhyun laughed before taking both of Chanyeol’s hands in his own. “Thank you for this,” he said sweetly, “it was an oddly perfect way to celebrate.” Looking at Chanyeol in that moment, Baekhyun was overcome with joy. Half of him was patting himself on the back for finally acknowledging how important Chanyeol was to him a month ago, while the other half was in awe of Chanyeol for being so patient with him.

He really had lucked out.

 

“The night’s not over yet, Baekhyun," Chanyeol winked, effectively pulling Baekhyun's thoughts back to the present, "We still have to cook half of this food... before we get to the main event.”

With that, the couple began to quietly make their way back towards Chanyeol’s apartment.

“Maybe for our six month’s I’ll let you buy me a spice cabinet and make your grandmother proud,” Chanyeol said lightly as they turned out of the parking lot.

While Baekhyun was touched by Chanyeol’s sharp memory, he had something else in mind for six months that involved the couple _sharing_ a spice cabinet… and perhaps an entire apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you get pushed around by ahjummas in Hanaro mart and drabble ideas come to you.

**Author's Note:**

> And that’s all she wrote. I started this back in August and then life happened. But I was anxious to finish it and get it out of my drafts folder. It’s super rushed towards the end, and I’m sorry. I’m not entirely (read: not at all) happy with it, but I needed to complete it so that I could move on.Apparently I am only able to finish a fic like once a year.
> 
> (alternatively titled: that time Baekhyun tried to have sex with chanyeol's knee and everyone was obsessed with what was up his ass)


End file.
